New Year, New Me? How about getting rid of some bad tech habits with the new you this year? We all know habits don’t die easy, which is why it is important to make the conscious efforts to break our chain of bad habits.

Ranging from public sharing on the Internet to overcharging our smartphones, the tech generation of today has plenty more to worry about than just oversleeping every morning.

Here, we identified 5 bad habits Singaporeans have that should be eliminated so that by the end of the year, we can proudly say that we’ve finally managed to make some positive changes to our lives.

1. Stop Sneaking Photos/Videos

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Yes, please stop.

Smartphone cameras are convenient for capturing daily moments and honestly, who doesn’t like taking selfies? However, this does not give us the right to take pictures of strangers and upload them on social media platforms.

In Singapore, a local favourite would have to be the gossip site Stomp. Every so often, we would see someone posting a photos of ‘rude’ individual hoarding seats. What good would come of it, aside from the poster garnering likes from this act of pubic shaming?

During the time the post was being published, the poster could have done some actual good by giving up their seat to the ‘pitiful person’ in the photo.

Stop taking sneak photos, it only encroaches on the personal privacy of others, and I’m sure you would not appreciate it so much when you end up on the other end of the camera.

2. Stop Sharing Fake News

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It’s a known fact that Facebook and Twitter were blamed for Trump winning the election, with sites such as the Mirror and Fortune claiming that the false truths perpetuated online encouraged supporters of Trump.

It’s easier said than done when it comes to identifying fake news, but it is not impossible. Always read the article properly and be sure of the news outlet. If the article shows strong bias views against someone it could also mean that facts had been altered to demean them.

We often get perplexed or overly enthusiastic by click-bait headlines before actually reading the entire article. It’s our responsibility to be aware of what we post on social media to avoid perpetuating false claims about others.

3. Don’t Be Too Me-Centric

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Social media is like our online identity where we strive to update our followers on what is happening to us via images of our latest meal to our latest purchase.

However, let’s not be oblivious to what is happening around the world, and instead focus on the ‘social’ aspect of social media by keeping up with others as well, and not just those within our social circles.

By broadening our reach and learning about current issues, we can also improve our general knowledge. If you’ve ever felt like you are not able to keep up with the discussion topics of others, here is also where you can start to rectify the situation.

4. Start Reading The T&Cs

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This is definitely something many of us ignore when we sign up on a platform or when there’s an program update. Reading it can be extremely time-consuming and trust me, I feel the same. However, we can’t ignore the fact that it is indeed important to do.

Skipping through the T&Cs is something many of us do, and as such, you might not think much of it. But wouldn’t it be a lot better if you could avoid that future egg on your face if something does go wrong?

Let’s not repeat the same mistake we have been committing for so many years, and make 2017 the year we would not end up regretting.

5. Stop Overcharging Your Batteries

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We often wonder why our phone batteries die so quickly. Many of us tend to our devices charging overnight so that we can wake up to a full battery life but according to Android Central, “overheating and overcharging are the most common reason a battery fails“.

Signs of a dying battery is when it is consistently warm even when you’re charging it. As worried as we can get about the charging efficiency of our phones, remember to turn off the charger whenever the percentage is about to turn a full hundred, or when it is already full.

Perhaps then, your phones won’t die so quickly when you’re out. Keep your batteries cool in 2017 and your heart will be at peace as well.

Time To Free Bad Tech Habits

It’s not difficult to beat out the bad tech habits if we really set our mind to it. After all, how tough is it to flick a single switch to turn off our phone chargers?

If we aim to make 2017 a better year, we should start working towards improving our lives so that we can enjoy the year with better habits.